Hoops Habit
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Could Anyone Match Kobe Bryant’s 81 Points Today?

By Carter Johnson

January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the crowd before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the crowd before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) laughs during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) laughs during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

Here’s why no one will score 81 points again

It’s a different generation now.

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The league today has very few, if any, teams built solely around one player like the Lakers were around Kobe at that point. Stars no longer have to bare the load on their own and many are paired with other stars to lessen the burden of leading a team.

This is reflective of a league in the 2010s that has put the emphasis back on team ball as opposed to the isolation play that was so heavily favored in the 2000s.

One can look at the reigning champion Warriors to find evidence of that, but even lesser teams like the Orlando Magic and even the Los Angeles Lakers boast a few decent players as their foundation, rather than one great player and a bunch of average players like in the days of Kobe, Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady.

In this new team-driven league, no one man can – or will – have that much power to score 81 points.

More hoops habit: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

For this reason, Kobe’s monumental accomplishment is all the more rare, and will go untouched for a very long time.

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